The Blind Sage
by Renjii1313
Summary: Ichigo managed to survive being left for dead by the Soul Society after Aizen's defeat but was grievously injured. Now the Vandenreich are planning to attack and the Soul Society has nobody left to turn to but Ichigo. But will he be willing to help after their betrayal? And what of Ichigo's new secret, which he wants no one to find out?
1. Chapter 1

The Blind Sage

(A Bleach Fanfic)

All rights go to Tite Kubo

It was morning in the Seireitei, and Rukia Kuchiki woke up from a restless night of sleep. She rose from the futon shakily, rushing over to the toilet in the adjoining room to vomit as the memories came rushing back. After some time, she rose, dressed, and made her way down to the dining room.

Her brother Byakuya took one look at her and rose to inspect her. "The nightmares again, I presume?" He asked, placing a warm cup of jasmine tea in her hands. Nodding in appreciation, she sat down across from him and began to recount the nightmare. It was the same nightmare that had plagued her for five years. Byakuya had hoped that after so much time had passed the memories and nightmares would fade, but still, they had not.

Byakuya rose and held out his hand to his sister. "Come, I am doing what I should have done all those years ago. We are going to the fourth and seeing if there is any cure for these nightmares. You cannot perform your duties well if this keeps continuing." Rukia bowed to her brother, and the two started to get ready to flash step to the fourth division when they were interrupted by a Hell Butterfly. Byakuya lifted his hand, allowing the animal a place to land to deliver its message.

_All Captains and Lieutenants report to the fist division for a meeting._

Rukia looked at her brother and the two flashed out of their house, heading for their new destination.

Head Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat in silence, his eyes closed as he waited for his subordinates to enter the meeting hall. His lieutenant Sasakibe stood beside him. The old man softly tapped his cane against the floor in impatience. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, as this wasn't going to be a very happy meeting. _I'm getting too old for this_, he thought to himself as the captains and lieutenants filed in. Finally, all of the highest-ranked officers in the Gotei 13 had assembled.

"I have called this meeting because orders have come down from the Royal Palace. We must prepare for war. It seems that the Quincy are once again moving. Due to this, all Captains and lieutenants are to start training immediately. Your third seats and below will handle the day to day operations of your squads. Training is your only objective."

Shinji Hirako stepped forward. "Sir, from everything I've heard about your old war I don't think most of us are up to the task, even if we have a month to train."

Kyoraku nodded in agreement. "Old man, you said that the current Gotei doesn't hold a candle to past generations. If we ask the royal guard maybe they can…"

Yamamoto slammed his cane into the floor, slightly raising his reiatsu to interrupt his student. "I know this Shunsui! Which is why I have asked Kisuke Urahara if he has a solution to this problem." There was a collective groan as they heard the name of the slightly insane candy store owner/inventor. They turned as the doors opened and Kisuke walked through. The officers turned to look at the man, only to involuntarily take a step back.

Urahara walked through the doors, head hung down. There were no quips or quirks, or sarcastic jokes made at the expense of others as he softly walked past the captains and lieutenants. Even Soi-fon had nothing to say to the disheveled man before her. He was missing his trademark hat and fan and his hands shook slightly as he began speaking.

"I know you don't want me to be here for one reason or another. And I sure as hell don't want to stand before you. The very sight of you makes me ill, and I can only stomach it for so long. But since you thought that a great way to come here would be to threaten my wards, I had to come." Several heads snapped to look at the head captain, who looked impassive as ever. Toshiro Histugaya's eyes widened in disbelief. The old man had done what? Sure, Kisuke was not affiliated with the Soul Society, but that didn't mean using force was necessary.

Urahara continued, his voice hard and angry. "But I do have an answer for you. There is a way to beat this so-called Quincy king. And the answer is to call upon the man that stopped the last madman that threatened to destroy this place. Ichigo Kurosaki." At his word, the head captain's eyes fully opened, and he stood. The rest of the people in attendants' faces held different emotions. Guilt, sorrow, excitement, and outrage.

"What do you mean Ichigo Kurosaki? The boy perished at the end of the winter war due to a hollow that consumed him after he lost his powers!" Soi-fon exclaimed in anger but was suddenly smashed into the floor by the release of Urahara's reiatsu. Some of the captains drew their blades halfway out of their sheaths before Urahara reeled back his power.

"Are you talking about the official story, that you told his family and friends Captain Soi-fon? Or the actual story about eight captains and eight lieutenants leaving him for dead, to be eaten by a hollow after thinking they had killed him? Which one were you talking about pray tell?" Urahara shouted and the woman, who had barely risen to her feet.

Shinji stepped towards his old friend. "What do you mean? The kid wasn't…" Shinji trailed off as he looked at the captains, all but the Visords, Kenpachi and Kurotuchi looking anywhere but him. Shinji stumbled and sat down on the floor hard. He and the Visords had rejoined because they felt like they owed it to the little strawberry that had saved their lives and cleared them of the charges placed on them a century ago for hollowfication. Now he was finding out that the same organization that he and his friends pledged themselves to had killed the kid. He couldn't believe it.

Some of the other Visord reactions were quite similar to Shinji. Lisa took one look at her captain, Shunsui with betrayal in her eyes. Shunsui began to speak but Lisa just walked out of the meeting. Rose, Love, and Kensei were quick to follow. Hiyori helped her captain to his feet and walked with Mashiro towards the door. She stopped, looking at Rukia and Renji, who had their heads down in shame. "Did you help?" When she didn't get an answer, she pushed Mashiro out the door and turned back to the two. "Your silence speaks volumes. And you both have the nerve to go to Karakura and visit his family and friends. Screw this place and all of you. Bet Ichigo wishes that he hadn't saved your asses five years ago. Murderers." She hacked for a second and proceeded to spit on Renji and Rukia, spittle splattering against their faces. With that final action, Hiyori followed her friends out the door.

Shinji stared at the head captain with hate in his eyes. "Why old man? He had already lost his powers, but you didn't think that was enough?"

Yamamoto slammed his cane in the ground. "He was a security risk, and a danger to himself and others if he ever regained his powers. It was decided before the first response team was launched against the Arrancar. We cannot have pity for those who pose a threat. He was painlessly put down."

Urahara snorted with laughter. The head captain turned to him, releasing his reiatsu in displeasure. "Painlessly? You left him powerless, hollows swarming around him. But again, you underestimated the boy. He is quite alive." Rukia gasped in shock, a small bit of hope glimmering in her eyes. But it was quickly dashed when Urahara glared at her. "That isn't something to celebrate for you. The only people that have known about him being alive is Yoruichi and me. He almost strangled her when she mentioned the Gotei. So, as you can guess, he's not too happy about being stabbed in the back and left for dead. Unfortunately for you, he's your only hope now, and getting him to help you will be difficult, if not impossible. A start would be giving back his power. He can now sense spirits, so you will be about to talk to him."

With those words, Urahara strode out of the room, his step much calmer and steadier. Shinji followed him, only stopping to rip off his captains Haori and throw it and Yamamoto's feet.

The doors smashed closed as Shinji left. The captains and lieutenants sat in silence. Yamamoto dismissed them after telling them that he would be sending three captains along with their lieutenants to find the ex-substitute soul reaper and bring him back to the Soul Society.

Rukia flashed stepped to the Sokyoku hill, her emotions all over the place. She had managed to contain her tears in the meeting as Urahara reminded her of what she had done. Now that she had escaped the eyes of her brother, she fell to her knees, tears falling down her face.

Renji found her sitting near the old execution stand, weeping. He sat next to her and slowly put his arm around her. "He is still alive shrimp." He said, trying to comfort her. "Soon we'll be able to see him again. After a while, it'll be like the old days."

Rukia looked up at him with her tearstained face. "After what we did to him, you really expect him to forgive us? Let alone help us?"

Renji smiled, trying to seem more confident than he felt. "Sure! The Strawberry isn't one to hold grudges! He fought the entire soul society to save you. It may take him some time, but he'll get back to what he was before."

Rukia slowly smiled. "I suppose you're right Renji. I hope he'll forgive us and help." She wiped the tears off her face and the two rushed to their quarter to prepare to leave.

Meanwhile, in the human world…

Shinji was sitting on the floor of Urahara's shop, waiting for a response from the eccentric ex-captain. When he and the rest of the Visords returned to the world of the living they vegan to pressure Urahara to tell them where Ichigo was. Hiyori and Lisa were about to head off to Ichigo's house when Urahara stopped them.

The man held his trademark fan in front of his face, his tone growing somber and reserved. Shinji wasn't happy with the tone, as the only time he had heard it was when he and the others were recovering from Aizen's experiments. It was a bad news tone. And not the 'Oh I stubbed my toe bad', this was the 'someone has either died or will die badly'.

"I'll tell you where Kurosaki is. I'll even come with you. But I don't know how he will react to all of us being there. I've only visited him once in these five years, and we never spoke face to face. Only Yoruichi has seen him, and she has been quite tight-lipped about the whole experience. She wouldn't talk to me for the next month following the visit."

Kensei whistled in surprise. For Yoruichi to not speak to her old friend for so long, something horrible must have happened to the boy. Beyond even the fact that he was almost killed. Kensei turned his attention back to Urahara as he continued.

"From what I can tell, someone, either a hollow or more likely Soi-Fon, tried and failed to cut his throat. His voice was hoarse and quite soft when we spoke. What other damage was done to him; I can only guess." Urahara muttered. Hachi stared at the man, eyebrow raised, a question forming on his lips. Urahara answered it quite soon, however. "Hachi, you're probably wondering why I didn't heal it with Kido." He looked at the pink-haired man, who nodded in confirmation. "As I said, I never saw him. The only reason he spoke to me was that Yoruichi begged him to. She told me she tried to heal him, but for some reason, his wounds were unresponsive to healing Kido for whatever reason. I can't search for any other types of cure, as he refuses to see me or even speak to me since I visited last."

Love spoke up for the first time. "Who all knows he is alive? I presume everyone in the world of the living?"

Urahara shook his head. "Only his sisters, Yoruichi and I knew that he was alive, per his request. He flat out told me that if I informed Isshin he would find a way to kill me. I decided to respect his wishes." Urahara stood off, brushing crumbs off his clothes and marched towards the door. "Are you coming?" He asked, walking out the door. The Visords got up and followed the man, hoping that their old friend was truly not as broken as Kisuke said.

Kisuke led them into the forest south of Karakura, his cane tapping on the rocks as he followed a path only visible in his head. After about an hour's walk, they reached an old Shoji style house that looked somewhat unkempt. As they entered the house, Shinji stumbled on a metallic object. Picking it up, he saw that it was a cheap beer sold in convince stores across Karakura. As his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit house, he could see stacks upon stacks of empty beer cans thrown carelessly on the floor. Lisa and Rose stifled a gasp as they saw the cans. From the number of cans, Ichigo was in far worse pain than they had initially realized.

"So…Kisuke Urahara." Came a soft voice from the next room. "Despite my wishes and my warnings, you brought soul reapers to my home." The voice was gruff and sounded as if it was in pain.

Shinji walked up to the sliding screen that stood between Ichigo and him, only stopping when he heard a loud growling. Ichigo laughed as Shinji jumped back from the screen, yelping in fright. The laugh continued for a few moments before it turned into a hacking cough. Everyone in attendance winced as they heard it.

"My apologies. My voice isn't what it used to be. Back to the question at hand. Why are you here?"

Hachi stepped forward. "Ichigo, we came as soon as we heard you were alive, we wanted to see you?"

There was some shuffling behind the screen. "Thank you Hachi. I am sorry that I concealed the fact that I lived from you. However, you all were deep in enemy territory. And I was afraid of telling you because if he told you while you were still involved in the Gotei 13, they would have a great chance of finding out."

Kisuke stepped forward, his fan fluttering in front of his face. "About that Ichigo…"

Ichigo snorted in anger. "Let me guess. Something or someone is threatening the Soul Society."

Kisuke almost dropped his fan in surprise but quickly got control of himself "H-How…"

"I still retain the slightest amount of spiritual pressure. I am not blind to what happens in the realms of the dead. Plus, Yoruichi keeps me well informed. I do believe she is going to have words with you about keeping secrets." At Ichigo's words, Kisuke paled considerably. Hiyori snickered at the man's predicament.

"I do suppose I owe you Visords the 'pleasure' of seeing me alive." More shuffling came from behind the screen. The Visords and Kisuke leaned forward in anticipation. "Move aside Chisana." The screen slid open, and as one the Visords reflexively recoiled.

Ichigo had shoulder-length hair that looked like it had been unwashed for days. The once fiery orange now had streaks of grey running through it. He looked thin and frail, clothes barely hanging onto him as he slowly shuffled towards them. All of this paled in comparison, however, to the boy's face.

He was blind, that much was obvious. Five-inch-wide slashes trailed from his right temple to his left jaw. His eyes were wide open and milky white. He smiled faintly at them, clutching desperately at the staff that tapped the ground, showing him the obstacles on the floor. "I would say its nice to see you," Ichigo said, with a half-smile. "But as you can probably tell, it's pretty difficult."

Shinji laughed and enveloped the boy in a hug. "Your jokes still suck strawberry." He ruffled the boy's hair, earning a squawk in protest. The rest of the Visords smiled. Maybe Ichigo wasn't as far gone as they had been told.

Ichigo turned to Urahara, who flinched as he saw his pupils face. "Who are they sending Urahara?" He asked, his voice turning cold.

"Byakuya, Toshiro, Ukitake, Renji, Rangiku, and Rukia…" Kisuke trailed off when he saw the boy's face tighten in fury.

Ichigo raised his staff and smashed it into the ground, breaking the thin floorboards. "They want to make me into a weapon again, and they think that by sending _her_, they will get me to accept?" He snarled, his free hand grabbing Urahara by the shirt. Urahara looked at him in surprise. He thought that the boy could only see with his stick, but he was apparently wrong. His question was almost immediately answered.

"Want to know how I knew you were there?" Ichigo growled. "I have just enough spiritual energy to see the shapes of people with spirit energy. That and my hearing is great." Ichigo let go of his former mentor and walked shakily to a chair. He held out his hand and whistled loudly. A giant dog half as big as Ichigo leaped out of the room where Ichigo had been and trotted over to her master. Ichigo scratched the dog behind the ears.

The Visords looked at one another. No one really knew how to address the giant horse that Ichigo thought was a dog, so they just stayed silent.

"I'll tell you Urahara what I will tell those damned soul reapers when they come. I would rather let this new enemy, these Quincies, burn the Seireitei, Hueco Mundo and the world of the living down before I help them." Urahara's eyes widened at the venom in Ichigo's voice. "Those damned '_death gods_' took everything from me!" Ichigo roared, his hoarse voice sounding strangled. Spittle flew from Ichigo's open mouth onto Urahara as he shouted at him. The dog rose from her position at Ichigo's feet to growl as well.

"I gave everything to those damned reapers. I almost had my spine severed by Aizen. I was killed _twice_ by Ulquiorra! The last time he launched a Cero through my fucking chest! The only reason I lived was because of Orihime and Shiro! Then, when everyone lost to Aizen, guess who had to sacrifice everything to stop him?" Kisuke and the Visords looked down in shame as he spoke, veins bulging in his forehead as he slowly turned red.

"I lost my Zampakuto! I lost Zangestu and my hollow!" The Visords heads snapped up when he mentioned the hollow. They were confused on why he mentioned it. "Shiro and I may have hated each other and fought for control over my body, but he was at least there for me when I needed help! Which is more than I can say for you Urahara, my father or the Soul Society. Shiro and Zangestu sacrificed themselves so I could defeat Aizen! And then, when I had lost all of that, Yamamoto decided I was better off dead!" Ichigo dropped his staff and pulled off his shirt. A huge scar ran from his right shoulder to his left hip. "Almost cut me in two. Can you guess what blade did the honor?" The Visords shook their heads. Kisuke however, looked away.

"Sode no Shirayuki!" Rose and Love's eyes widened. All of the visords had expressions of shock and horror. They knew full well whose Zampakuto that was."

"Cut down by the person I lo…" Ichigo's voice dropped. Shinji and Lisa walked over to their friend and each laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "All the captains and lieutenants were there. Said that it was a mercy." Ichigo spat, hands turning white as he clenched the armrest of his chair. "Then they left me to get eaten by hollows. One slashed me across the face with his claws. Then all I saw was white."

Ichigo pulled a bottle of beer out from under the chair, opened it and took a long drink out of it. "How I survived I don't know. I found myself here, and I have lived here ever since. There was food here that I managed to survive on and eventually Yoruichi found me. She told me I had been missing for a year. I taught myself how to see using spirit energy, and I have stayed here since. The only thing noteworthy that has happened in the last few years was finding my beautiful Chisana." He smiled at the dog, who began to quietly lick his hand.

"You named your dog tiny?" asked Hiyori. In response Ichigo just smiled and scratched the dog a bit more. Suddenly the dog leaped up and howled. Ichigo's smile disappeared. He slowly rose, with the help of Shinji and his walking stick.

"I do believe more guests are arriving. Let's give them a _warm_ welcome." He muttered, white eyes narrowing in anger.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, Ukitake, Toshiro and Rangiku stepped out of the Senkaimon onto a forest area with a small house a couple of hundred feet away. They immediately detected the Spiritual Pressures of the Visords and Urahara. Slowly, the group began making their way towards the house.

Rukia trailed slowly behind her brother, deep in thought. She had no idea what was going to happen when they reached the house. Hearing that Ichigo was alive had brought her massive relief the day before, after the initial shock of him living faded, she was left with unease bordering upon terror. She had been the one to deliver the blow, and he had seen her do it. How would he react if he saw her now? What would he say? What would he do?

The dead grass crunched beneath their feet as they reached the house. Renji looked at the captains, a question upon his lips. What would they even say? What could they say? However, before he could ask the question, the door to the house opened, drawing the gaze of the Soul Reapers.

The Visords minus Shinji walked of the house and faced the reapers present outside. Rukia immediately noticed that every single Visord's hand was on their Zampakuto, the gleam in their eyes daring, almost begging one of the reapers to start something. Luckily, Ukitake managed to dissolve some of the tension by removing Sōgyo no Kotowari from his sash and laying it in front of the Visords.

"Please allow us to pass, we only wish to speak to Mr. Kurosaki." He begged, bowing his head. The rest of his companions, especially Byakuya looked astonished at the gesture.

Hiyori snorted as she listened to the white-haired captain talk. "Like hell we're going to just let you walk in and talk to the Strawberry. Not after what you did. And _especially_ not with her here." She yelled, gesturing with her free hand at Rukia, who flinched at the accusation.

Byakuya stepped forward, his hand on his sword. Both sides readied themselves for a fight. Suddenly a hoarse voice ran out, stopping all of them. "Please you guys, there is no need to fight over my account."

Rangiku smiled at the voice. "Ichigo! I must say its good to see…" the lieutenant's voice trailed off as she saw Ichigo walk out of the house, Shinji and Urahara holding his arms to guide him as he stepped onto the grass.

Rukia let out a strangled sob as she saw her old friend. His scars were quite easy to see, and she could only imagine what had happened to him. At first, she wondered why he needed help to walk, but then she slowly realized why. Ichigo was blind.

"Well Rangiku, it seems I'm finally able to get you speechless for once. I'm sure your faces look hilarious." He said, a small whisper of bitterness sneaking into his voice. "Now why may I ask, did the Soul Society send three captains and lieutenants to find little old me? Did you want to finish the job?" He stated flatly, causing Toshiro to hastily deny it.

"Nothing like that! We are here to offer you a deal."

Ichigo's milky white eyes narrowed. "Let me guess, someone is threatening the Soul Society, you are all too weak to defeat them, you need a weapon, and I can be easily disposed of afterward."

Ukitake started to deny that until he realized he had no grounds to answer. Ichigo was describing the winter war in a nutshell. A silence rose among them, with Rukia trying as best as she could to simply melt into the floor. Finally, Byakuya spoke.

"We are willing to return your powers, if you agree to help us, and after the war, we will negotiate what happens…"

"Fuck off." Stated Ichigo, his voice never raising. Byakuya stopped as he stared at the boy in surprise. This wasn't how he acted. He would always protect those he cared about. Ichigo's mouth twisted into a smirk slowly. "You're probably asking yourself why I won't help. That it is my nature to protect. And what I say to that is fuck off. You tried to kill me, took my eyesight, took everything from me. I would rather endure a thousand years of torture than slave myself to you people again. Let the Seireitei burn to the ground. It's been a long time coming."

"Ichigo you can't mean that! The Vandenreich wants to destroy everything! You're being selfish!" yelled Renji, his face slowly turning red.

"It doesn't matter!" Ichigo roared. His fists were clenched so hard that his nails began to cut into his skin, blood slowly dripping from them, mixing into the dirt. "There is no one in the Soul Society that I feel like risking my life to save. But even if I wanted to, I can't." Urahara looked at his former protégé, a frown on his face.

"Kurosaki, your powers can be restored. They are merely dormant within you. All we need is enough reiatsu to trigger it."

Ichigo nodded in acknowledgment, ruffling his dog's ears. "That is true Kisuke, however, that is also where the problem arises. In order to restore my powers, you would have to put in more reiatsu than I used against Aizen. The only person who could provide that energy is the soul king. So, unless you want him to give up his powers, I can never get mine back. So, go back and train yourselves, or give up and die. Don't really care which. That's all I have to say to you."

With those words Ichigo began to walk back into his home. When he was halfway up the steps he turned and threw a folder at Ukitake. "Tell the old man that if he wants to kill his own blood, he should so the damned job himself." He then entered the house, leaving everyone except a certain shopkeeper confused.

Toshiro pulled out Hyorinmaru and stabbed it into the air, twisting it to open the route back to their home. Everyone began to follow him, but Rukia begged her captain to let her stay for a while. Ukitake nodded after exchanging a glance with Byakuya, leaving the lieutenant to start walking towards Ichigo's house.

The Visords left, following Urahara back to his shop. This was one conversation that they did not want to involve themselves with and left as quickly as they could.

Ichigo sat in his chair, his dog at his feet. He could sense Rukia slowly walking towards him, and he didn't know what to say. Despite acting like he had everything together, he was currently trembling and hoping she did not see it. This conversation had played out in his head every day since he had recovered. But now the time had come, and he didn't know what to say. So, he simply sat, waiting for her to make the first move.

Rukia was six feet from the man she had betrayed, almost close enough to touch him. Eventually, she got up the courage to speak. "I bet you regret it, don't you?" She asked, her voice, quivering.

"What do you mean?"

"You regret ever saving me. Ever meeting me."

Ichigo ran his hands over his beard as he thought. "Do I regret meeting you? No. Nor do I regret saving you. You gave me the power to save the ones I held dear. You promised me power and I accepted it. I don't regret it." Rukia felt her heart rising in her chest, but soon it was slammed to the ground with Ichigo's next words. "The only thing I regret is trusting Urahara and Soul Society. Most of all I regret trusting you, Renji, everyone I thought would have stood up against the Head Captain's orders. I should have known in the end; you all would blindly follow the Head Captain's rules like gospel."

Hot tears began to slip down Rukia's face as she heard. He had every right to say the things that he did, and she could not blame him. She had tried to kill the man who saved her time and time again.

"Do you hate me? I know I do, and I wouldn't blame you if you did."

Ichigo reached into a cooler and pulled out two beers. Wordlessly, he handed one to Rukia, who gratefully accepted it. The sat drinking for a while before Ichigo spoke again. "I should hate you. But for some reason, I cannot. I tried so many times to hate you but could never bring myself to. All I can say is that I am disappointed." Ichigo took another swig of his drink before he continued.

"You had your orders. TO an extent I cannot fault you for following them, but still, it hurt. Every time you speak, I can feel your blade passing through my body. I'm always cold, and it becomes unbearable in the winter. I blame you for what happened, but I still cannot hate you. I hate Yamamoto and the rest of the Soul Society for doing this to me and forcing you to do it. You clearly didn't want to."

Rukia's head snapped up at the comment. "How did you know they made me…"

"I told the Visords this, so I might as well tell you. I have just enough power to sense reiatsu. It forms shapes in my mind, and sometimes I can even tell a person's mood by the color. It's how Tosen used to fight. I was able to tell a little about what happened by looking at the color of your reiatsu. It's normally white, but now it has shades of dark blue and black, indicating strong guilt and sorrow. I pieced together the rest for myself."

Rukia placed her hand on Ichigo's out of instinct and gripped onto it tightly. "Can I see it?" she asked, her voice trembling. Ichigo nodded and removed his shirt. Rukia's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the huge scar that stretched from shoulder to hip. The scar from the wound she had caused. She reflexively reached out and touched it, her soft fingers gently caressing the scar. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to his torso desperately, lines of saltwater running from her eyes onto his chest. Ichigo's eyes widened for a moment and he hugged her in return.

"There is no need to cry midget. You'll make me feel bad."

"Shut up! I'm not a midget, you're just so damn tall!" The two stopped for a moment realizing that they had almost immediately gone back to their old insults.

After realizing this, they simply stayed silent for a while, holding each other. Rukia broke the silence after some time with a question. "Does your family know you're alive?"

"Yuzu and Karin do," Ichigo answered, running his hands through her silky black hair, reveling in the softness of it. "Goat-Chin doesn't, but the reason for that is for another time. You should probably get back to the Soul Society. Rukia nodded and proceeded to open a Senkaimon.

Just as she was about to leave, Ichigo called out to her. "Don't die midget. I'm not around to save you this time."

"Idiot. Like I ever needed saving to begin with." She replied with a smile. With a flash of light, she disappeared.

Ichigo stood, staring at the spot where Rukia vanished for a few minutes. He was only paused when a hand clamped onto his shoulder. A dark presence materialized behind him, but all Ichigo did was smile.

**"Not sure why you hugged her King, explain." **Growled Shiro as clamped onto his partner's shoulder. Before Ichigo could answer, a second spirit answered for him.

_"You know the reason as well as Ichigo or I Shiro. We watched over her for a long time and we saw the nightmares and things she went through to try to cope with our supposed death. She was damaged almost as much as us then." _Shiro growled at his other half but grudgingly admitted he was right.

**"As long as we get to punish the bastards actually responsible and King lets me free for a while, I couldn't care less who King wants to spend time with."**

Ichigo picked up his walking stick and looked at his spirits. The three of them exchanged a grin and as his spirits vanished back into his inner world, Ichigo twisted the top of his walking stick and pulled, the blade sliding from its hidden sheath. He much preferred this version of the cane-sword to Urahara's, he thought, as he swept his Zampakuto through he air in a couple of experimental swings. He gathered some energy and slashed down in a vertical arc, revealing a door that was not unlike a Senkaimon. He opened the door and putting his blade away, walked through it.

The royal realm was always a sight to behold. Hovering islands which housed the five members of the royal guard were beautiful. However, all five paled in comparison to the Island that contained the Soul king. It was made completely of different colored gems and crystals, that sparkled as the sun's rays hit them, scattering light everywhere.

Ichigo made his way to the King's Island, heading for the throne room. The guards stationed at the door uncrossed their halberds and let the young teen into the throne room.

There sat the Soul King in all his glory. Rich dark red and purple robes clothed the dark-skinned man as he laughed at a joke one of his retainers had told him. Ichigo waited several moments until the king had noticed him before walking up to him and kneeling before him.

"Your majesty."

"Ah, Buraindosēji*, it is good to see you again. It's been what, four years?"

"Yes, your majesty. I received a note from Sensei. He asks that you allow me to deal with your son." Ichigo rose to his feet at the statement. The king thought for a moment and then nodded his head in acceptance.

"If the Samayōtamashī** thinks you can handle it, my boy, then I have no objections."

"Thank you, your majesty. If you don't mind, I will head to my rooms to reclaim my things." The king dismissed him with a nod and went back to talking with his retainers.

Ichigo left the throne room and followed a passage that led to a large blood-red door. Ichigo merely flared his reiatsu and the door opened. He quickly made his way to his own person quarters within the wing and began to throw on his uniform.

He grinned as he slipped the Haori over his shoulders. Shiro and Ossan appeared behind him, Shiro sharing his grin, while Ossan simply smiled. After five years, they were finally heading back to the Soul Society.

* * *

*Blind Sage

**Wandering Soul

* * *

**A/N. **

**Hey guys, Renjii1313 here! Sorry about the length of this chapter, next one will be longer as we get into the Vandenreich's invasion of the Soul Society! I am creating a new Zampakuto for Ichigo, Shiro, and Ossan are still his spirits obviously, but his powers are a little different. Also, Yhwach won't have 'The Almighty' because in my opinion it's broken af. Also coming either chapter three or four, you will be seeing why Ichigo still has his powers and I'll be introducing the OC character. Well, let me know what you guys think of the Story in the reviews. Opinions and suggestions always help!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Kyoraku stood next to Nanao as they walked towards the first division. Nanao turned to her captain. "Do you think that Ichigo will join us captain?" she asked, clutching her ever-present book close to her chest.

Kyoraku lifted his straw hat a couple of inches so he could stare at his lieutenant properly shrugged in response. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "After what happened, I can certainly understand why he would refuse. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to join up with the Quincy."

Nanao's eyes widened. To bear a grudge against the Soul Society was one thing, but to join with their enemy was another. She thought about the consequences of someone as powerful as Kurosaki joining the Quincy. She may not have participated in the Winter War, but she had seen the young Ryoka's power when he destroyed the Sokyoku. She shuddered to think about facing him as an enemy. Eventually, Nanao was brought out of her thoughts by her Captain.

"This isn't the first time we have had orders to kill a potential threat." Kyoraku muttered to himself, not realizing he had been heard.

"Who?" exclaimed Nanao.

Kyoraku paused and thought for a moment before answering. "I shouldn't have told you that, the information's classified, but I suppose it'll be fine." Nanao's eyebrow rose at her captain's attitude towards top secret information.

"It was about three hundred years ago. There was a prodigy among the new recruits. He rose through the ranks quicker than any before him. Only took him a decade until he became captain of the tenth squad." Kyoraku paused and resumed his walk towards the first division barracks.

"He was a firebrand, quite literally. A powerhouse, much like his father. But Central 46 thought he was too progressive, had little regard for tradition. Proposed ideas that didn't sit well with the nobles. So after about two hundred and fifty years, Central gave orders to the rest of the Captains."

"Yamamoto himself drove Ryūjin Jakka through his stomach. We left him in the world of the living with a Vasto Lorde Hollow. He was utterly defenseless. And that was that." Kyoraku looked at his lieutenant who was staring at him in horror.

"You all left him to be devoured?"

"Yes. Destroyed the old man to do it, but he had to obey orders."

Their conversation was cut short when they arrived in the First Division. Sasakibe sat at a desk, filing paperwork. He looked up at the two standing before him.

"Where's the old man?"

Sasakibe looked at Kyoraku darkly. "He's in his garden. You remember what today is, don't you?"

Kyoraku's eyes widened. "Damn. How could I have forgotten?" He sat down heavily next to the first division lieutenant. "And today of all days to hear the news about Kurosaki."

Nanao looked at her captain, a question written on her face. "Why is today important?"

Kyoraku reached and grabbed Sasakibe's sake container, pouring himself a cup and downing before answering. "Today is the birthday of the man that we killed. The Tenth Division Captain, Isshin Yamamoto."

Yamamoto knelt before a cherry tree in full blossom. He sat two lit Kōdō sticks in front of him and looked at the pictures of his son and wife. "Happy birthday my son. Forgive an old man who failed you. My dear Massani, forgive the man you once loved for betraying our most prized child."

The wind softly began to blow sending sakura petals gliding around the garden. Yamamoto lay his Zampakuto on his knees, hearing Ryūjin Jakka sending calming rumbles to his partner. But this was one day of the year when the dragon's soothing had no effect. Yamamoto looked at his son's picture once more and began to sing, his voice breaking every so often.

"Leaves from the vine  
Falling so slow  
Like fragile tiny shells  
Drifting in the foam  
Little soldier boy  
Come marching home  
Brave soldier boy  
Comes marching home

Those leaves did grow  
From branches overgrown  
Drifting slowly down  
Resting on the loam  
Little soldier boy  
Taken from home  
Forced to fight a war  
That's not his own"

Tears began to slide down the old man's face, soaking the ground. Refusing to wipe them away, Yamamoto continued.

Leaves from the vine  
Falling so slow  
Like fragile tiny shells  
Drifting in the foam  
Little soldier boy says  
'Carry me home'  
Sleeping soldier boy  
Is carried home."

Yamamoto turned as he heard footsteps, roughly wiping his hand across his eyes. It was not proper for the captain commander to show emotion. He recognized the frantic steps of his lieutenant. Hopefully, the man would bring some good news. However, despite what he may have wished, Yamamoto's already horrible day was about to take a turn for the worse.

"Sir, the captains, and Lieutenants of squads six, ten, and thirteen have returned from the world of the living. They found Ichigo Kurosaki." Sasakibe said, kneeling before his mentor.

Yamamoto raised his eyebrow. "If they found him, why is he not here? I thought I told them that they were not to leave without Kurosaki."

"Sir, the captains report that Ichigo Kurosaki refused to accompany them back to the Seireitei. The boy was heavily injured when we…" Sasakibe paused, trying to find a way to describe the assassination. Eventually, however, he gave up. "He is completely blind and retains only enough Spiritual energy to sense and hear us. He claims that the technique he used to defeat Aizen made him lose his powers."

"Then why did he not have Urahara restore it?"

"According to the boy, only someone with equal or greater spiritual energy can restore his power. The only one who can restore it is either the Soul King or one of his retainers. And the royal realm has been silent for centuries." Sasakibe paused for a second, debating on whether he should tell his old friend. He slowly withdrew a folder from behind his back and placed it before Yamamoto. The old man stared at the folder for a moment before he looked at his old pupil, eyebrow raised.

"Captain Ukitake was given this by Kurosaki to give to you sir. Ukitake said Kurosaki wanted you to know 'Tell the old man that if he wants to kill his own blood, he should so the damned job himself'."

Yamamoto's eyes opened wide. He stared at the folder and snatched it from the ground. He held his breath as he eased the folder open. There were two sheets of paper. The first showed his family tree. How was it possible that Kurosaki knew of Yamamoto's family? He stared at his son's name, but something was different. There was an extra name next to his son's: Isshin Yamamoto ne Kurosaki. Yamamoto began to breathe harder and harder, his eyes were drawn to four other names. Masaki Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki, Karin Kurosaki, and Ichigo Kurosaki. The folder dropped from his trembling hands.

Sasakibe waited with bated breath. He stared at his mentor wrestle with several emotions. Shame, happiness, and rage battled amongst themselves. However, one emotion won: Sorrow.

The air began to get unbearably hot and Sasakibe immediately flashed stepped back to the Seireitei for safety. The rest of the captains and lieutenants were gathered for another meeting waiting for the Head Captain. They turned to see the first division lieutenant on his knees, gasping.

Ukitake and Shunsui walked over to their friends and helped him into a chair. Soi-fon looked at the man's dazed countenance and asked, "What happened? Is the Head Captain alright?"

Just before Sasakibe could answer, an unbelievable amount of Spiritual pressure hit them like a truck. Only one of the lieutenants was still awake, the others had collapsed. Ukitake, Shunsui, and Unohana were the few captains that were able to stay on their feet.

"Never seen the old man this pissed in a long time." Shunsui muttered, pulling his straw hat over his eyes.

"He just found out he ordered the death of his only grandson Shunsui. Granted, he managed to survive the attempt, but he will never be able to interact with our world anymore means Genryūsai will never get to see him, let alone speak to him ever again. Those without any spiritual power are immediately sent back into the reincarnation cycle without coming to the Soul Society. It's understandable that he is upset."

"He also lived with the guilt that he had killed his only son. Finding out he was alive and with children has put a great shock on master." Ukitake muttered. Shunsui removed his hat and began to fan his lieutenant, nodding.

Eventually, the pressure receded, and Yamamoto entered the hall. "Shunsui, you and Ukitake go to the world of the living. Find my family and bring them home."

"What of Central 46's order?"

Yamamoto snarled. Unohana smiled, finally seeing the resurgence of the man known as the Dragon. He's feeling better than he has felt in centuries. She thought, recalling the old days.

"I am the leader of the thirteen court guard squads. Not them, no matter what they claim. My family will return and if they try to harm them, I will show them why I am the Captain Commander!"

Shunsui nodded, grinning. "At once!" He and Ukitake spend to the Senkaimon.

Meanwhile, In the Royal Realm, two of the royal retainers were talking to each other as they watched the Soul King Speak with the Blind Sage.

"His majesty's actually allowing him to eradicate the Quincy? Can he really do it?" asked one, her voice soft as not to be heard.

"Of course. He is one of _them_, after all. Apparently, his majesty has finally given him permission to execute the traitors down below as well. The Sage is especially happy about that."

The two continued their conversation as Ichigo received his orders from the King.

"How long do you wish for me to remain there after I have finished the mission?" asked Ichigo.

"Your mentor has decided you will stay there until he arrives. We want to make sure that there will be no civil unrest do to you completing your mission." The Soul King drank deeply from his goblet before he continued. "As always it is a pleasure to have you at my palace my boy. Before you leave, would you mind if you had a spar with one of my Royal Guard? I always love seeing you fight."

Ichigo smiled as he nodded and the floor before thing king began to sink slightly. Ichigo reached into his pocket and withdrew a black cloth and tied it around his ruined eyes. As his opponent advanced, sword drawn, he slid his blade from its wooden sheath. Then he as he uttered the words to release his Zampakuto, The Soul King leaned forward in excitement. "Drain, Zangestu!"

World of the Living

Isshin Yamamoto was tired. Twelve years ago, he had everything. Masaki, his one love was surrounded by his children. Then due to a damned hollow and the Quincy King, he had begun to lose everything.

First was his beloved wife. Then against his better judgment, he decided not to move away, and it eventually resulted in his only son being dragged into the world of spirits. And that too had ended in his son getting killed by the same order that he himself had managed to barely survive. If only he had warned Ichigo, his baby boy might still be alive. And now he could still not look his daughters in the eyes. All because of his stupid mistakes, his family was gone.

A knock came at the door. Isshin looked up from staring at his family's picture and walked over to the entrance. He opened the door and almost fainted in shock. His old mentors, the men who were surrogate older brothers to him were at the door.

Shunsui smiled and grabbed Isshin in a hug. Ukitake soon followed suit after his friend had released Isshin. "It's good to see you, little brother. Your father sent us. He wants you and your family to come home. The Quincy are coming, and he wants to protect his granddaughters."

Isshin nodded and reached into his pocket. He swallowed a candy and his soul was ejected from his gigai.

"There are people we need to bring as well. They will be of use. You've probably met some of them. But first," Isshin began to yell at the top of his voice to his family. "Yuzu, Karin, grab the lion doll and get down here! We're going on a vacation!"

**A/N. **

**Hey guys, Renjii1313 here. Sorry about the delay on the chapter. COVID has made everything very interesting. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I decided to give a little tease on Ichigo's Z****anpakuto. The next chapter will be longer and you will finally see the battle between Ichigo and Yhwach. As always if you like it, please leave a review. See you next time! **


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